An exploration of amigurumi crochet, sewing, and D.I.Y. gifts.

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My family and I had the opportunity/inconvenience of living in a tiny cottage on the top of a hill! Why? Because we had a flood in our kitchen and were temporarily moved there. As you can see, the view was absolutely stunning but living in a remote area had its challenges (especially with a baby.)

While we were there I checked “crochet rocks” off of my project bucket list (because there wasn’t much else to do to be honest!) There were so many rocks around so I thought, now is the time! It’s actually quite a quick project if you’re familiar with crochet and do a little research.

A while back I watched a “crochet stones” video tutorial on a website called “Creative Bug“. Once you subscribe you have access to a number of videos that are of really good quality. (I ended up unsubscribing because I found the majority of the crochet tutorials catered towards beginners. If you’re a beginner, I highly recommend it!) The crochet stones video, in particular, was really great because it taught me how to make the netting that goes around the stone/rock. See? the rocks even look cool from the back!

Later on, I looked up a “crochet doily” video here. I used the first few rounds of the pattern to make the circle design and then continued with the netting technique I learned from Creative Bug to finish it off.

And, since I wasn’t about to pack two heavy rocks into my suitcase I thought, here is where I made them so here they will stay…bye bye rocks! Bye bye cottage too because we’re back home safe and sound now.

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Has it really been 3 months since my last post? CRAZY! A lot has happened in 3 months! I won’t bore you with all the details however, one very special event for our family was my daughter’s first birthday. I had a lot of fun sewing up a few outfits and decorations for a little photoshoot and for her small party with family. I also made a coordinating outfit for her bunny! Since having our baby girl, sewing has been such a great way to relax after she goes to bed…or after she’s awake from 2am to 3am and I’m wide awake and need something to do.

For the bunting, I used a FREE bunting pattern here. I wanted to make it as quick as possible so I just cut out the triangles (for the pink one I used the 6″ triangle and for the purple I used the 4″ triangle) and kept the edges raw. On the back of each triangle I put a 1/2″ strip of fusible interfacing along the top edge to decrease any puckering in the fabric. After that, I wedged the triangles in-between a long piece of bias tape and sewed a straight line all the way across the tape. Done. Super easy!

For the diaper cover I used an awesome free pattern from MADE Everyday. You can find the video tutorial here.

I purchased the plain white bib from Carter’s (it came in a pack of 5) and then I appliquéd it! I applied “heat n’ bond” to the wrong side of the fabric and cut out my desired shapes. After fusing the shapes to the bib, I sewed around the edges of the fabric to secure them in place. You can find a tutorial that explains this process in detail here.

For the skirt I used another fabulous MADE Everyday tutorial which you can find here. I did a rolled hem on each layer of the skirt with my serger.

The plain white onesies were purchased at Wal-Mart (they came in packages of 2). I used Premie Size for the bunny and size 3-6 months for my teeny tiny daughter! I appliquéd the cupcakes to the onesies.

I used a simple yet cute headband tutorial from Create Kids Couture. You can find it here.

I LOVED how it all turned out however, the appliqué only lasted for the day! The edges of the fabric frayed! Luckily, I only really needed the outfit for one day so it didn’t really matter. Next time, I’ll need to use a zig zag/satin stitch instead of a straight stitch to secure the appliquéd pieces to the bib and onesies.

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I bought this sweatshirt off a clearance rack without trying it on first and it was too big! I loved the floral print on it so I thought, why not try making it into something new?

Since it was stretchy fabric, I also got to practice using my serger!

I purchased the PDF pattern on Etsy from “Brindle & Twig patterns” . You can purchase the pattern here. The pattern was really nice to read. It was really clear with detailed photos of every step. It had nice big font and it even came with photos and terms to help beginners cut out the pieces correctly.

Instead of making fabric straps and snaps like the pattern suggests, I used soft, fold over elastic.

To complete the outfit, I created a matching headband which was really easy to make. Seriously easy. Like, you can make it in 5 minutes easy. Here’s how:

Choose a part of the fabric you’d like to use (in this case, a rose.)

Cut out a piece of heat n’ bond lite approximately the size of the rose and iron on to the wrong side of the fabric with the paper side up.

Cut out the rose with the paper still on the back.

Peel off the paper on the back and place on your backing fabric (in this case, some felt) and iron on using a pressing cloth to prevent the synthetic felt fibres from melting! I used felt because it gives the rose some added stiffness and texture.

5. Cut it out and stitch around the rose to secure it to the felt. If you use Heat n’ Bond Ultra hold however, it can stay in place without stitching.

6. Tack it to the elastic with a few stitches and sew your elastic to size.

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This.Sewing.Pattern.Was.Fabulous! Seriously. Very clear instructions which I followed step by step and it turned out perfect. You can find the pattern at TipTopTeepeeShop on Etsy. If you’re not comfortable with a drill you will need someone to help you drill the holes into the poles.

I used outdoor fabric which I purchased on sale at Fabricland. It’s sturdy, water resistant and a B*&%h to work with! haha! I’m used to sewing with quilting cottons and lightweight fabrics but because of the size and weight of the fabric pieces I needed a little extra help from sewing notions. Here are some helpful tools I use all the time but definitely couldn’t do without for this project:

Wonder Clips! I was a little skeptical when a sewing instructor recommended these a few years ago because they were pricey and didn’t seem like much. I think I paid $30 something but now it looks like you can get them cheaper on Amazon! I LOVE THEM. They are so much easier to use than pins and they always hold the fabric right where you want it. There is no way this thick and heavy outdoor fabric would’ve held a hem with traditional sewing pins.

GrabARoo Gloves (or any free motion quilting gloves.) The fabric pieces were not only large but slippery too. Using these gloves made controlling the fabric a breeze. They have little sticky pads on the fingers that allow you to grip the slippery fabric easily. I’ve heard you can also use gardening gloves to help you get a grip!

I would love to try this teepee again except make an indoor one using cotton!

Let me know if you give it a try!

Happy Sewing,

-AFriendLikeBen-

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Teehee!!! I LOVE how this diaper cover turned out. FINALLY, a pattern that works. I’ve purchased a few patterns from Etsy and this one is my favourite because the author provided information regarding what type of yarn to use as well as measurements to look out for while you’re crocheting to make sure you are on track to a correct fit. I purchased the pattern from crochetbyjennifer on Etsy and you can purchase her pattern here.

I used BERNAT handicrafter yarn in “Camomile.” It was a great yarn to use but I have an issue with the fact that this particular colour is a scented yarn! (I didn’t realize there was such a thing as scented yarn when I bought it.) I wasn’t a fan of getting whiffs of artificial camomile fragrance as I made this but at least the scent is light so it won’t bother the new baby. If you purchase this brand of yarn be sure to buy 2 bundles in the same dye lot as you’ll need more than one bundle to complete the diaper cover.

For the flower on the headband I found this great FREE pattern on Ravelry here. I loved how all the layers came together so nicely. The pattern calls for 6 petals but I only did 5.

The headband is a newborn headband from Carters. I just cut off the bow that it came with and hand stitched my crocheted flower on to the band. Easy peasy.

I really enjoyed making this pattern and can’t wait to meet the little girl who it’s for. Her due date is today! Come on baby girl!

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Yay! After a few months away from my sewing machine I’m finally home and back to it! Last year, around this time, I took a few bag making classes and today I was able to make this little toddler tote bag without a pattern. If you’d like to make your own tote from a pattern though, I found a tutorial here.

The template for the appliquéd letters came from a wonderful site called ShinyHappyWorld.com. You can find the adorable free letter templates here. (I used an upside down “W” for the “M” because the letters only come in lower case.) The author, Wendi, has some amazing tutorials, patterns and great YouTube videos. I’m a subscriber to her Shiny Happy emails and I love them – I always learn something new! For example, Wendi often likes to use black thread to outline her appliqué for a more cartoon-like effect. I wouldn’t have chosen black otherwise but I agree – I love how it turned out.

I have a list a bucket list of sewing projects I’d like to tackle this summer. I hope I can Stay tuned!

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After numerous FAILED attempts at baby booties, (first attempt being over a year ago) I finally completed a pair of presentable baby booties and I’m so happy!

I bought the patten from OnePaisleyPig on Etsy. Although it is tricky to crochet with black yarn (because it makes stitches hard to see), her pattern was pretty easy to follow. The author also included some photos to help you understand how to join the sole and the tongue to the bootie.

I always go to YouTube for helpful tips because there are so many people out there posting videos. I searched “crochet baby sole” and found a lot of videos that helped explain what to do for that part. You can find a video example here.

Another tip is to make sure that all of the black yarn you’re using is from the same dye lot! Since I used the end of an old black yarn for one boot and started a new skein of yarn (same brand) for the second boot, one came out a little shiny and the other one was matte. Since I didn’t notice the difference until AFTER I crocheted the bootie, I had to cut off the black part of bootie #1 and start again so they would match…tragic!

But even with all the trial and error, I can finally say that I know how to complete a baby bootie and I’m so pumped!

I’ve completed 2 pairs so far to use as toppers on diaper cakes for my friends – they were a hit!